Chestnut is 8.5 months old. She is a big boned and tall girl (18 inches at withers) and already weighs 46 lbs/ 21.05kg and I can still feel her ribs so she is not overweight at all. I plan to keep her on puppy food till 12 months old and I have picked Orijen. Do I give her Large Breed Puppy, regular Puppy variant or Adult orijen? I am told Chow's will grow till 16-18 months old but I am getting conflicting info from vets. Some say switch her over to Large Breed P as they have large dog issues such as hip and elbow dysplasia and the Calcium & Phos (1.2:1) in these will be in controlled portions so she will grow at a slower steadier rate until at least one year old. Others say she is a medium sized dog as Chow are considered that plus joints and bones will no longer be an issue as she is more than 80% of her expected size at that age so go with Orijen Puppy or even Adult formula.

Large Breed Puppy is difficult to come by in the Phils. so i intend to grab the bag left in the store. There is no shortage of Puppy, Adult and six fish ever.

Any input would be great. Oh for rotation, I also feed her Acana Duck and Pear but not often as that only has 25% protein instead of the required 28% for pups. Cal/Phos is 1.3:1 Lamb and Apple will come in after one year old with its high 1.6:1 Cal Phos ratio.

I would recommend Large Breed food. Particularly in the puppy stages. If she is on the larger side as you say, this will provide a slower growth formula with additional proteins. Nutra brands now makes a large breed formula that is recommended up to 18 months. Even if that brand/formula isnt available to you, i think it makes sense to keep to a similar recipe. Chow bone development continues up to about 2 years.

Rory's Dad wrote:I would recommend Large Breed food. Particularly in the puppy stages. If she is on the larger side as you say, this will provide a slower growth formula with additional proteins. Nutra brands now makes a large breed formula that is recommended up to 18 months. Even if that brand/formula isnt available to you, i think it makes sense to keep to a similar recipe. Chow bone development continues up to about 2 years.

Thanks so much Rory's Dad! It would really kill me if I harmed her in her growing years. I will keep her on LBP till 18 months just to be safe. I will look around for Nutra or have numerous relatives from the States ship them over. I love this site! Vets are usually clueless and push only for the brands the clinic carries like Royal Canin or Science Diet.

Everyone has different idea's on diet, I think the most important thing is to make sure your dog does not get too heavy. You are feeding an excellent food. I would do a lot of research before changing to make sure you get a food as good. I have to add that I have had Chows for 30 years and have never used a large breed food. Here is a good site to compare dog foods. http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/

I think I will stick to the Orijen brand. Thanks for the dogfoodadvisor site referral which helped me decide. BTW, what did you feed your chows? Regular Puppy food or all life stages? Until what age do I give them puppy? Your 30 years of chow rearing wisdom/experience is what I really need right now:-D Your maikinda photo is adorable!

I think I will stick to the Orijen brand. Thanks for the dogfoodadvisor site referral which helped me decide. BTW, what did you feed your chows? Regular Puppy food or all life stages? Until what age do I give them puppy? Your 30 years of chow rearing wisdom/experience is what I really need right now:-D Your maikinda photo is adorable!

Thanks, that is my Jenna as a baby in the photo. I am feeding Merrick Grain Free Buffalo and Sweet Potato and Merrick Grain Free Duck and Sweet Potato. I add different things to their diet. It may be chicken, salmon,or vegetables. I started my last puppies on this food and they have stayed on it. My best advice is to read as much as possible. I try to keep up with all the new information. Things are a lot different now than thirty years ago! LOL!!

I agree Laura...things have definitely changed. Particularly in the area of mass produced kibble. There are many more choices avaibable. Some are good, some are not. Some that used to be horrible are better now, and some are still terrible. Unfortunately, its still difficult to tell which is which. And yes, there are still plenty of opinions on which diets are best for our Chows (high protein, grainfree, raw diet, etc).